"Mad Men" actress January Jones has been the victim of a few missteps on the red carpet in the past, but this Zac Posen design incorporates both sharp angles and big, round curves, and looks light as a feather.

"Mad Men" actress January Jones has been the victim of a few missteps on the red carpet in the past, but this Zac Posen design incorporates both sharp angles and big, round curves, and looks light as a

The fit and the color are perfect for "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks' dramatic natural coloring, but the belt looks like it was pulled off the rack at Target and cheapens the overall effect.

ON THE FENCE:

The fit and the color are perfect for "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks' dramatic natural coloring, but the belt looks like it was pulled off the rack at Target and cheapens the overall effect.

Photo: MATT SAYLES/INVISION/AP

ON THE FENCE: The fit and the color are perfect for "Mad... Photo-3497499.49542 - NewsTimes

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Taboola Gallery Frame Item-85307.49542 - NewsTimes

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BEST:

Actress Sarah Paulson, nominated for her role in "Game Change," may have had the prettiest dress of the evening, by Reem Acra. The color is fantastic, the fit is perfect and the detailing is precisely understated.

You'll see other examples of bad prints here, and this is not the worst. But with minimal styling elsewhere, Julianna Margulies let this Giambattista Valli design overwhelm her. The woman has glorious hair, but you'd never know it here.

Actress Hayden Panettiere is only 5-foot-2 and has the devil of a time finding formal wear that masks her diminutive stature. She hit a home run with this Marchesa gown that makes her look at least six inches taller.

Actress Hayden Panettiere is only 5-foot-2 and has the devil of a time finding formal wear that masks her diminutive stature. She hit a home run with this Marchesa gown that makes her look at least six

... and another one going. The metallic belt offers no help and the overall effect is of someone who couldn't make up her mind what to wear ... so she settled for both.

... and another one going. The metallic belt offers no help and the overall effect is of someone who couldn't make up her mind what to wear ... so she settled for both.

Photo: MATT SAYLES/INVISION/AP

... and another one going. The metallic belt offers no help and the... Photo-3497486.49542 - NewsTimes

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Taboola Gallery Frame Item-85307.49542 - NewsTimes

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BEST:

If you look up "voluptuous" in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of "Modern Family" actress Sofia Vergara. The wrong gown on a body like this would look campy at best, vulgar at worst.

BEST:

If you look up "voluptuous" in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of "Modern Family" actress Sofia Vergara. The wrong gown on a body like this would look campy at best, vulgar at worst.

Photo: JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

BEST: If you look up "voluptuous" in the dictionary,... Photo-3497484.49542 - NewsTimes

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Fortunately, she went for a Zuhair Murad gown in a gorgeous color that accentuated all the positives.

Fortunately, she went for a Zuhair Murad gown in a gorgeous color that accentuated all the positives.

Photo: MATT SAYLES/INVISION/AP

Fortunately, she went for a Zuhair Murad gown in a gorgeous color... Photo-3497466.49542 - NewsTimes

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WORST:

By comparison, this is a textbook example of how not to handle voluptuousness. Actress Kat Dennings may be the star of "2 Broke Girls" but here she looks like "1 Clueless Girl" in a J.Mendel gown that tells too much of a story and is topped off by lipstick that's too intense and just-woke-up hair.

Julianne Moore, nominated for best actress in a miniseries or movie for her role as Sarah Palin in "Game Change," takes the bottom rung here in a Christian Dior couture gown in a color usually reserved by Nike for runners' gear in Spandex and college football uniforms. It hurts the eyes just to look at this.

Julianne Moore, nominated for best actress in a miniseries or movie for her role as Sarah Palin in "Game Change," takes the bottom rung here in a Christian Dior couture gown in a color usually reserved

Meanwhile, Tina Fey, who never seems to get it quite right on the red carpet, comes pretty close in a Vivienne Westwood creation that is a great color and beautifully tailored, but marred by a beaded bodice that over-accentuates its odd shape.

"Mad Men" actress Elisabeth Moss. Prints are so dangerous; this one by Dolce & Gabbana isn't a disaster but it needs to turn down the volume three or four notches so we can see Elisabeth, not just the dress.

Name another celebrity besides "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi who can wear this color and get away with it. It helps to be a former model with her skin tone and the good sense to stick with a tried-and-true design by Monique Lhuillier.

Name another celebrity besides "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi who can wear this color and get away with it. It helps to be a former model with her skin tone and the good sense to stick with a tried-and-true

Actress Nicole Kidman tries on some metallic blue body armor over her white gown. Oh, wait, that's actually part of the Antonio Berardi creation, a long-sleeved version of which was unveiled to the public just six days prior at London Fashion Week. Perhaps a little more time to reflect would have saved her from a rare but serious misstep.

You can always expect "Project Runway" almuna Kenley Collins to recall the looks of the '50s, but you would have thought she could reference something different for an event of this magnitude. Where's the curtain rod that goes with this bodacious print?

Heidi Klum can get away with this extreme version of "Jolie leg" in this Alexandre Vauthier couture gown, because as we all know, supermodels are actually aliens who are built differently than the rest of us.

Heidi Klum can get away with this extreme version of "Jolie leg" in this Alexandre Vauthier couture gown, because as we all know, supermodels are actually aliens who are built differently than the rest of

BEST: Heidi Klum can get away with this extreme version of... Photo-3497443.49542 - NewsTimes

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BEST:

Actress/singer/dancer Julianne Hough still hasn't done much of note since leaving "Dancing With The Stars," but that hardly matters when she's still around to grace the red carpet with a gown this beautiful.